The voice of the Second Avenue Subway might have an Australian accent.
The MTA named six finalists in its search for narrators of the Second Avenue Subway video, a motley mix of Upper East Siders that includes native New Yorkers, a transplanted Midwesterner and one Aussie.
The six finalists were chosen from dozens of applicants who hoped to narrate the informational video, which will be broadcast in an exhibit at the Community Information Center on Second Avenue.
No voice-over experience was necessary, but not everyone could apply.
All applicants had to live or work in the construction zone — First and Third avenues between 63rd and 105th streets — to be eligible for the part.
This being New York, plenty of actors did apply for the gig, including two of the finalists.
But the vast majority of the dozens of respondents were amateurs.
“If you ever see the beginning auditions for American Idol, it was kind of like that,” joked Richard Mulieri, of MTA capital construction.
“You knew right away who wasn’t going to Hollywood.”
One person’s phone audition was a riff on the Twilight Zone, including a spooky over the top voice extolling the virtues of the over $4 billion project.
“It was way beyond what you’d want,” said Rehema Trimiew, an MTA digital medial producer who was one of the judges.
The public will choose one woman and one man from the finalists, whose voices will be broadcast at surveymonkey.com/s/SASIdol.
Voting begins today and will remain open until Feb. 17.
Melbourne native Theresa Ebblewhite doesn’t think her Australian accent will hurt her changes.
“New York is multi-cultural and diverse,” she said.
She decided to audition after a psychic told her she should do voice work.
She thought nothing of it — until the next day when she saw a story in the Post about the MTA’s contest.
“I thought, this is too eerie,” said Ebblewhite, an educational consultant who has lived in New York for nine years.
Scotty Davis — a Screen Actor’s Guild member who has lived in New York since 1970s — drank coffee to warm up her throat before her final audition Monday night at the MTA’s offices in Brooklyn.
She did three takes inside the tiny voice studio, finally nailing it after thinking of her mom.
“I put my mother in my mind, like how would I tell my mother?” she said.
Bill Bunting applied after being urged on by his wife, who had also read about the contest in the Post.
“I know a lot of merchants on Second Avenue [that have been impacted by construction],” he said.
But he is convinced the benefits will some day outweigh the negatives.
“Public transportation is hugely important,” he said.
jennifer.fermino@nypost.com
